Method for Personalizing a Child&#39;s Potty

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a method for providing a personalized toilet for a toddler comprising a blank having selected indicia attached. The personalized toilet may include a chair and/or seat having selected indicia providing a personalized toilet that provides both choice and control to a toddler. The consumer is provided with the opportunity to select various indicia to be applied a selected blank. The method may be embodied in a personal computer or a kiosk.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/731,782 filed Oct. 31, 2005, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a method of providing a child's toilet, and more particularly, to a method for providing a child's potty having customized indicia or designs chosen by a consumer or child. The method further relates to a method for providing a display and kiosk for facilitating the method.

BACKGROUND

Children begin life wearing diapers until they are ready for toilet training. Children may start the toilet training process as early as fifteen months, while others may not be ready until after age two. The age at which a child begins training is dependent upon many factors, some of which are psychological, physiological, and those unique to the individual child or their environment.

The toilet training embraces a number of aspects, some of which may or may not apply to every child. Currently, various teaching tools are available and include books, videotapes, charts with stickers, packages that include a boy or girl doll and a toilet for the doll, along with one or more of the previously mentioned items. The process of helping a child achieve control of his excretory systems so that diapers are no longer necessary can be a frustrating process for both the child and the training adult. Typically, the child is introduced to the idea of potty training by watching adults use the toilet. A child's potty chair or a seat adapted to fit on the adult toilet can be used to begin the actual toilet training process.

Various systems for training children have been introduced. For example one system requires the child be placed on the toilet every 15 minutes for a period of 5 minutes each and when the child eliminates while on the potty they are praised. Further systems include watching for warning signals of bowel movements such as turning red, grunting, or straining, then placing the child on the potty to complete the activity. Few children train in a matter of days or even weeks, it usually takes months. The length of the training period often has to do with the child's interest or lack thereof in sitting on the potty. Many children view potty training as uninteresting and a distraction from playtime and other entertainment.

One suggestion proffered by experts for generating interest in potty training is to personalize the process for toddlers by encouraging the child to choose the potty chair or seat. Toddlers are very particular and can find fault with even the most basic of designs. Encouraging a toddler to choose his or her own potty will enable the child to believe that they are in control and are making the decisions. Unfortunately, the current selection of potty chairs and seats are limited since each is manufactured in mass quantities. Designs and indicia are limited to only a few select designs that may not be pleasing every toddler. Additionally, such mass market designs cannot be personalized or altered to fit the unique perspective of a toddler. Thus, what is need is a method for providing a toilet seat or chair that can be customized to fit the unique needs and desires of a toddler.

SUMMARY

The present invention embodies a method for providing a personalized toilet seat or chair for a child. The method includes providing a base or blank toilet seat or chair that can be customized by a consumer by the addition of indicia, designs and/or artwork. The added indicia are applied to the blank resulting in a completed personalized toilet seat or chair.

In greater detail the present method may be further facilitated by the use of a computer. The consumer interacts with the computer to choose the desired design or indicia presented on the computer screen. The indicia may be selected from a catalog of licensed characters, images and/or designs created by the consumer or child. Designs created by the child may be done using a computer program such as “Paint” by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond Wash. or by scanning into the computer a drawing. Furthermore, it is contemplated that embellishments such as glitter, sparkle or sound effects may be added to the blank. The computer may be a personal computer located at a person's residence or a computer embodied in a kiosk. The kiosk may be located in a retail store.

The computer embodiment may be used in conjunction with an internet web site for facilitating the personalizing and purchasing of the child's toilet. The web site presents the various indicia to be selected and added to the blank. Embellishments may be added to the blank along with original art work created by the child. The art work may be created online via the web page or a hand drawn image created on a paper blank that can be scanned, digitalized and uploaded to the web site.

DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present method;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a toilet seat for a toddler having indicia applied to the seat;

FIG. 3 depicts a further embodiment of a toddler toilet seat having applied indicia that may be collapsed for portability; and

FIG. 4 is an illustration of toddler potty chair having indicia applied to the chair.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed herein is a method for providing a personalized toilet for a toddler. The personalized toilet may be embodied in various configurations including a toilet seat or chair. The personalized toilet provides a toddler with the power of choice and control in the process of toilet training. The toddler or parent is provided the opportunity to select various indicia which can be applied to the toilet. The indicia may be selected from a catalog of images and/or art work created by the child. The method may be embodied in a personal computer or a kiosk.

Turning now to the drawings where like numbers represent like items in the figures accompanying the present application. FIG. 1 illustrates a block flow diagram of the present method for personalizing a toilet for a toddler. The method includes a consumer 4 who desires to acquire a personalized potty 2. The terms “personalized potty” and “personalized toilet” are used interchangeably and reference a toilet intended for use by a child or toddler. However, the present method is not limited solely to toilets for use by toddlers and may be applied to toilets for adults. The consumer 4 may be a customer, child, individual or entity that desires the services of the present method. The consumer 4 engages a computer 6 or kiosk 8 to select a base 10 which indicia can be applied to.

In the embodiment wherein a computer 6 is engaged by the consumer 4 the computer 6 may access a web site wherein the consumer is presented with various choices in the selection of a personalized potty 2. In the kiosk 8 embodiment the consumer may be presented with similar choices as that presented to the consumer using the computer. The kiosk 8 may have the interactive software programmed within the kiosk 8 or the kiosk 8 may also access the internet in the same manner as the computer 6 embodiment.

In the base selection step 10, the consumer is presented with various choices of toilet configurations that may be customized with indicia. The term “base” may include toilet seats or chairs, but is not limited to such configurations. Typically, the base contains a solid field on which indicia may be added. The base, in one configuration, has a white field onto which the consumer may add various indicia. The base may also have various patterns or combinations of colors onto which the consumer may add indicia.

The indicia selection 14 step includes the selection of various indicia from catalogs 16 and original art work 12 created by the child or toddler. The term “indicia” includes any image, pattern, design, art work and/or combinations thereof that can be added to the blank. The catalog 16 may include licensed characters from a child's favorite television show or movie. The catalog 16 may include various complete designs that can be simply selected and added to the blank. The catalog 16 can contain images that can be added individually to the blank. Additionally, the child may add his or her name to the blank along with various embellishments such as, but not limited to glitter, sparkle and sound effects.

The original art work 12 may be that created by the child or any image supplied by the consumer 4 that can be scanned and uploaded into the computer. The original art work may also be created using a software program such as Paint available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond Wash. Additionally, a template may be provided that a child may decorate with various images. The decorated template may be scanned and uploaded into the computer to be applied as indicia to the blank. The template may be configured to fit the dimensions of the blank.

The step of applying the indicia 18 includes, but not limited to embossing, laminating and/or printing the indicia to the blank to produce a personalized potty for a consumer 4. While not shown in FIG. 1, the method further includes acquiring various account information from the consumer 4. Account information may include the consumer's address and billing information. The method may further process the account information as a billing program to charge and bill the consumer via a credit card or other debiting means know in the art. Also not shown is a delivery step wherein the personalized potty 2 is delivered to the consumer 4 to the address specified by the consumer 4.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate personalized potties 2 having various indicia 20. FIG. 2 embodies a potty seat and FIG. 3 embodies a portable and foldable potty seat. Each personalized potty 2 may be created from blanks having various configurations. FIG. 4 illustrates a personalized potty 2 that has a chair confirmation. Potty chair and seat blanks may have various configurations and the present figures are only illustrations and are not intended to limit the present method to any configuration of potty seat or chair.

While Applicants have set forth embodiments as illustrated and described above, it is recognized that variations may be made with respect to disclosed embodiments. Therefore, while the invention has been disclosed in various forms only, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many additions, deletions and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, and no undue limits should be imposed except as set forth in the following claims. 

1. A personalized toilet as substantially described herein.
 2. A method of personalizing a toilet seat comprising the step of adding to the toilet seat a select group of personalized graphics. 